SCENES of crime of officers were today due to return to the flat where an 18-year-old woman is believed to have been murdered.The body of the teenager was discovered in a house in The Street, Pettistree, near Woodbridge, just before 2pm yesterday.

SCENES of crime of officers were today due to return to the flat where an 18-year-old woman is believed to have been murdered.

The body of the teenager was discovered in a house in The Street, Pettistree, near Woodbridge, just before 2pm yesterday.

It emerged today that she is thought to have been found in an annexe at The White House, next door to White House Kennels.

The occupants of the main house where the woman was discovered were thought to be at home this morning and a BMW car could be seen in the driveway.

Two uniformed police officers guarded the scene today as villagers in the rural hamlet were left stunned by the murder inquiry.

The property remained cordoned off with police tape and two marked, along with one unmarked, police cars remained outside.

Police refused to give out any more details relating to the murder inquiry.

Anne-Marie Breach, spokeswoman for Suffolk Police, said a 33-year-old man remained in custody at Lowestoft Police Station today and had given his home address as Pettistree.

Citing it was an ongoing murder investigation, Ms Breach declined to say whether he was related in any way to the teenager who died or whether a weapon had been recovered.

No information about how the woman had died will be forthcoming from detectives until a post mortem examination was carried out either later today or tomorrow.

Next of kin were still being contacted today and a formal identification will need to be carried out before the deceased's name will be made public.

It has not been revealed who contacted police to raise fears for the 18-year-old's welfare, but police said the call had not come from inside the house or from a neighbour.

The 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder later in the afternoon by Norfolk police in Winterton-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth.

The suspect was initially taken to Great Yarmouth police station but was later transferred to custody in Suffolk for further questioning.

The spokeswoman added that the police were likely to ask for a 12-hour extension to the custody time limit this evening so officers could continue to question the man.

It is thought the annexe where the body was discovered had only been rented out in the past few weeks.

Residents in the small village today said they believed the couple had only just moved in and they did not know the identity of the teenager.

One resident who did not wish to be named said: “I didn't even realise anyone was living in the annexe. A couple had just moved into the main house and have just had a baby. This is all a bit close to home really.”

Tony Watts, 55, lives next-door to the Grade II-listed two-bedroom flat, where the woman's body was found.

He said: “This is a very quiet, sleep little area really. It's quite amazing this has happened. The police asked me if I had seen any suspicious movements and if I could identify anyone who had been to the flat. I said I couldn't because I've never seen anyone there.

“The only thing I could report was the fact I'd heard male voices there on Saturday.”